


siblings

by imposterhuman



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: (implied) - Freeform, Alternate Universe - College/University, Bisexual Tony Stark, Coming Out, F/F, Fluff, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Lesbian Natasha Romanov, M/M, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark Friendship, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Tony Is a Good Bro, Tony and Natasha are Siblings, Young Tony Stark, sibling shenanigans, theyre siblings who are best friends, young natasha romanov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:47:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21642427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imposterhuman/pseuds/imposterhuman
Summary: Natasha, by definition, was not a nervous person. Very few things rattled her, fewer still that could break her perfect composure. It was her favorite thing about herself, that and her ability to throw a knife from twenty feet and hit the bullseye.But despite her general lack of nerves, she couldn't stop her hands from shaking when she knocked on her brother’s door. She cursed herself and considered running away, but Tony opened the door within seconds.“Oh,” he said, visibly drooping. “It’s you. I thought it was the pizza guy.”
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Natasha Romanov
Comments: 20
Kudos: 483
Collections: Assassin Twins + Tony





	siblings

**Author's Note:**

> for anon on tumblr who prompted "I don't know if this counts but (siblings) Tony and Natasha coming out as to each other in l college, both being really supportive of each other but still worried (Howard's an ass after all), Tony fancies Bucky or while Natasha fancies Sharon, Maria or pepper?"
> 
> i didnt really hit the howard bit but i hope you like it anyway! this got so much longer than i meant for it to, possibly because i adore nat&tony as siblings
> 
> enjoy!!

Natasha, by definition, was not a nervous person. Very few things rattled her, fewer still that could break her perfect composure. It was her favorite thing about herself, that and her ability to throw a knife from twenty feet and hit the bullseye. 

But despite her general lack of nerves, she couldn't stop her hands from shaking when she knocked on her brother’s door. She cursed herself and considered running away, but Tony opened the door within seconds.

“Oh,” he said, visibly drooping. “It’s you. I thought it was the pizza guy.”

Natasha snorted and rolled her eyes, nerves dissipating. She wasn’t sure why she was nervous in the first place; it was  _ Tony  _ she was talking to. The boy was a disaster on a good day. Nothing she had to share could top that. 

“Be nicer to your sister,” she said, sickly sweet, and pushed her way inside. “Or I’ll call Mom.”

“Good luck with that,” Tony scoffed. He followed her into the room, waving her to sit on one of the few clear spaces. “She’ll be on my side; I’m her favorite.”

She wrinkled her nose and moved a wrench covered in- actually, she didn’t want to know what it was covered in. With her toe, she nudged it to the ground and tried to forget about it as she sat. “No, you’re not,” she argued, falling into their easy rhythm. “She only says that because you’re older and she feels bad that you’re going to go grey first.”

“Am not!” he squawked indignantly, patting down his hair with oil-stained fingers. “Jerk.”

“You love me,” Natasha preened, batting her eyelashes at her brother. 

Tony leveled her with an unimpressed look. “I do love you,” he admitted. “Which is why I know this isn’t a social call. Wanna tell me what’s up, Nat?”

Damn Tony and his sporadic emotional maturity, she thought to herself. It was so much easier when he was completely oblivious to feelings.. “No,” she muttered with a scowl. “Not really.”

“But you’re gonna tell me anyway, right?” he wheedled. “Please? Please? Please? Pl-”

“God, you’re irritating,” Natasha swatted him lightly. “Fine. I’ll tell you.”

“Yay!” Tony did a little victory dance. Sometimes, she seriously doubted that he was the older one. “Spill the tea, sis.”

“I changed my mind,” she said, standing up abruptly. “I’m leaving and never speaking to you again. You’re officially the worst.”

Tony grabbed her wrist gently. “C’mon, Nat,” he said, pulling her back down next to him. “You already knew I was the worst. Tell me what’s going on?”

Natasha buried her face in Tony’s shoulder so she wouldn’t have to look him in the eyes. The nerves were back, but she tried not to focus on them. She took a deep breath. 

“I’m gay,” she said quietly, waiting for Tony to react.

It wasn’t that she really thought Tony was homophobic, or that he’d love her any less for who she loved. But there was that needling part of her brain that said  _ maybe  _ he would. And that uncertainty was enough to set her on edge, ready to flee. She’d fled once before, from cold Russian winters and red hair like hers, like blood, right into the Stark family. As much as it would hurt, she could do it again. 

(Natasha didn’t think she’d be able to stay in this skin if her brother wasn’t by her side. She could lose everyone else, but not Tony.)

It took her a moment to realize that the shaking of Tony’s shoulders wasn’t tears, but laughter. She looked at him in shock. “What’s so funny?” she asked, confused.

Tony just shook his head, trying to catch his breath. “Twinsies!” he said finally, managing to get the word out between giggles. “I’m bi, actually, but it doesn’t matter. What  _ does  _ matter is that we can add this to our list of freaky sibling similarities. And the list of things that piss off Howard!”

“No one but you keeps either of those lists,” Natasha said, dazed. “Are you being serious?”

“Yes,” replied Tony, something honest in his normally playful voice. His eyes were dancing where they focused on her. “I’m seriously upstaging your coming out with my own. Older sibling privilege.” He slung his arm over her in a hug. “I’m proud of you, Nat. And you know I still love you, and all that sappy crap. Is this what you were so nervous about?”

She nodded mutely. “In hindsight, it was dumb.”

“That’s why I’m the smart child,” he said sagely. 

“Are not!’ she protested indignantly, spinning to glare at him.

He grinned, smug as the cat that got the canary. “Am too.”

“Are not!”

“Am too!”

Natasha was nothing if not the stubborn (and somewhat bratty) younger sibling. “Are  _ not _ !”

Tony shrugged. “We can agree to disagree,” he said magnanimously.

“I hate you,” she grumbled, crossing her arms. She still slumped against him, enjoying the casual contact.

He ignored her and changed the subject to something embarrassing, as per usual. It was nice to know some things would never change. “So,” Tony teased, knocking their shoulders together. “Who was it that got the great Natasha Romanov all starry-eyed?”

“Shut up,” Natasha said, trying to control her blush. It was no use; her pale skin betrayed too much. “It’s Pepper.”

He gawked at her. “Pepper?” he repeated. “My Pepper? Pepper Potts?”

“Yes, Pepper Potts,” she said waspishly. “Shut up, I know she’s out of my league.”

“No, this is great!” Tony said excitedly. He bounced up and down a couple times. Natasha wondered how much coffee he’d had. “Nat, Pep literally dropped her coffee the day you wore those thigh boots. She’s absolutely gone on you.” He got a calculating glint in his eye. “If you don’t ask her out, I will, and then it’ll be awkward for everyone involved.”

“You are the worst brother ever,” Natasha groaned, but she was grinning wide. “Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack,” he swore. “If I have to hear her wax poetic about your eyes one more time, Nat, I’m going to throw myself into the street. Not joking. There are some things you just don’t need to hear about your sister, you know?”

“You better be telling the truth,” she warned.

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Have I ever lied to you?” he cleared his throat awkwardly. “I mean, besides all the times I have.”

“No,” she admitted, lapsing into thoughtful silence. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face. And since turnabout was fair play… “But now you have to tell me who you’re crushing on, so that its even.”

Tony shook his head quickly. “I don’t have to tell you shit,” he protested. “Older sibling privilege.”

Natasha sniffed primly, then exercised her younger sibling privilege. Questing fingers danced up and down Tony’s ribs, making him shriek with laughter. Sooner or later, he’d break. He was impossibly ticklish. 

“Tell me!” she shouted, laughing along with him. “Tell me, tell me, tell me!”

“Fine!” he panted, putting up his hands in surrender. “You’re a horrible sister, exploiting my weaknesses like that.”

She waved a hand expectantly. “Who is it?”

“Bucky Barnes,” he muttered, red in the face from more than just the tickles. “Before you say anything, know that I didn’t tease you about Pep  _ nearly  _ as much as I could have.”

“Wait,  _ Bucky Barnes _ ?” Natasha spluttered. “You mean, my Russian Lit partner? That Bucky Barnes?”

“I’m changing schools,” Tony decided, nodding slowly. “Yep. Transferring. I’ll go to Norway, where no one knows me so I can die of embarrassment all alone.”

“Stop whining, this is a good thing,” she rolled her eyes at his antics. “Because I happen to know that Bucky looks ever so slightly less broody when I talk about you.”

“Why do you talk about me?” he asked, making a face. “Like, I know I’m the most important thing in the lives of everyone who knows me, but how did I come up in  _ Russian Lit _ ?”

“We were talking about things that were more depressing than the book we were reading,” she said, saccharine sweet. “I said your social life.”

Tony puffed up, then deflated. “You’re not wrong,” he said after a beat. “But shut up. I don’t like you.”

“You have to ask him out,” Natasha leaned against her brother. “I literally cannot handle his brooding.”

“Hell no!” he said quickly, putting his arm around her almost unconsciously. “I figure I’ll just pine until I either get over him or die. It’s foolproof.”

“Think about the example you’re setting for your impressionable baby sister!” she gasped.

“Yeah, well,” he shrugged, giving her a fond smile. “My baby sister has never listened to me, I don’t think she’s going to start now.”

Natasha’s eyes were feeling heavy. Emotional conversations always tired her out, and it was getting late, anyway. She figured she’d pass out on Tony and go back to her room in the morning. She reached up and booped Tony’s nose, a habit left over from childhood.

“Thank you,” she whispered, curling up more securely against his chest. “Love you, Tosya.”

She felt him wind his hands through her hair as she closed her eyes. It reminded her of safety, of  _ home _ , and she leaned into the touch. “Love you too, Nat.”

**Author's Note:**

> not written: tony asks pepper out for natasha, natasha tries to stab him. natasha asks bucky out for tony, tony picks her up and throws her. they go on a double date to the movies.
> 
> comments and kudos make me happy :))
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr [@imposter-human](https://imposter-human.tumblr.com/)!


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